With 280 sites spread across the region, our water and sewer assets account for 80 per cent of our power usage, producing around 13,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. Following our adoption of a Climate Change Strategy in June 2021 that announces we will achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions from our operations by 2040, it was recognised that steps needed to be taken immediately to reduce the amount of CO2 produced by these assets.

Solar power systems have been installed by local contractors at multiple water and sewer sites across the region, including water treatment plants, sewer treatment plants and recycled water treatment plants.

These sites were selected following an independent audit and are now powered by a mix of solar-powered and coal-powered electricity.

The installation of solar power systems at these sites will lead to an estimated CO2 reduction of more than 320 tonnes per year. It is also expected to reduce our operating costs by around $60,000 per year.

More broadly, the project aligns with our Climate Change Strategy and is likely to lead to the further implementation of solar power systems at more of our water and sewer sites in the future.